Camelot's Greatest Strength
by EpicArwen
Summary: A special day in the life of the Pendragons as their twin sons take up their first swords. Inspired by a worried Gwen in 4x03, The Wicked Day.
1. Chapter 1

Rating: K+  
>Disclaimer: I don't own anything Merlin, Arthur, Guinevere, etc.<br>Summary: A special day in the life of the Pendragons as their twin sons take up their first swords. Inspired by a worried Gwen in 4x03, The Wicked Day.

**Author's note:** Gwen was so hilariously worried about the danger to Arthur during the knife throwing portion of Arthur's birthday celebrations, I couldn't help but imagine her as a worried mother watching her boys train to fight. What follows is the result of that. Pure fun and fluff. Hope you enjoy!

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><p><strong>Camelot's Greatest Strength<strong>

"Guin-e-_vere_, how much longer are you going to be?" Though muffled through the thick wooden door, the King's mood was evident, as always, in the way he said her name. "We were to have begun training nearly an hour ago."

"I'm almost done. Just wait for us in the courtyard." Gwen called out to her one and only, hoping to assuage his impatience.

But, to no avail.

"What are you doing in there anyway?" Arthur Pendragon inquired.

"Making sure the boys are properly dressed."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Gwen cringed. For this particular king on this particular issue, the less he knew the better. At least until her hastily made plans were revealed. In public. Where her husband's famous temper might be...tempered.

There was a prolonged silence in which Gwen wondered if perhaps she'd given enough information to soothe Arthur's ruffled feathers or if she'd only fanned the flames of his curiosity.

Then suddenly, the door to the princes' bedchamber swung opened and heavy footsteps approached.

What was that they said about curiosity being a killer of cute purring things? Well, today, it seemed that Arthur was the curious and _she_ was to be the proverbial cat.

"What do you mean properly…" Arthur pushed back the curtain to the twins' dressing area and pulled up short at the sight that greeted him. His tone registered the shock on his face. A shock that was not lost on his seemingly focused, back-turned-to-him, queen. "Guinevere Pendragon, have you lost your mind?"

"What? I'm just trying to make sure they don't get hurt."

"Hurt? They can barely move under all that padding." A quick visual inspection prompted further alarm. "Can they even breathe?"

With a scoff and a roll of her eyes, Guinevere stood and circled her five year old sons, inspecting her handiwork. "Of course they can breathe, Arthur. Don't be ridiculous." Even as she spoke, her teeth worried her lower lip and her brows knit in concern.

Perhaps she _had_ overdone it a bit.

Layers upon layers of padding and clothes covered the twins from head to toe, causing their arms to jut out from their bodies like two blades of a windmill. Nary an inch of skin was visible to the naked eye. Except, of course their adorable Arthur-inspired faces. Correction, _half _of their adorable Arthur-inspired faces. Two pairs of innocent eyes blinked up at their parents from above the makeshift masks covering their noses and mouths.

Gwen attempted to smoothly, subtly address Arthur's immediate concern. Her attempt was neither smooth or subtle. Gently tugging on the material produced no results. She tugged harder and only managed to rock her eldest back on his heels. Quickly righting him, she gave it one last try.

Colin Pendragon landed headfirst in her lap.

An irritated, "Mmm-mmm!" and muffled giggles from her youngest-by-five-minutes son sent a flush of frustration and embarrassment over Gwen's mocha skin, including her delicately exposed neck. Whatever shock or anger Arthur might have been feeling at his wife's latest antics withered in the face of such a comical, and arousing, sight.

"Me? Ridiculous?" Arthur chuckled teasingly as he approached the boys, reached around Gwen and made quick work of the material muzzling his sons. Presence engulfing her, his breath was warm against her skin as his lips tickled her ear. "No, luv, I believe you have the handle on that one today."

Normally, the shivers she experienced at his closeness were a welcome sensation. But not today. Not now. Huffing herself to her feet, Gwen turned to face him with hands on her hips, tight lips and a miffed expression that went _beyond_.

Meeting her irritated gaze, Arthur sighed in resignation, reached out to her and waited until she slowly, reluctantly deposited her hand in his before he drew her away from the children for a more private conversation. Understanding his wife's unspoken fears, Arthur's expression softened. "Gwen, listen. We've gone over this. It is past time to begin their training."

"I still think they are far too young." Arms crossed in front of her, Gwen was defiant.

"For any other child that might be true, but they are the princes of Camelot and have much to learn. And as the king, even more so as their father, it my duty to prepare them for their roles as future leaders of Camelot. Besides, we've already delayed a year." Arthur gently reminded before launching into a well-used argument. "You know, by the time I was their age, I was beginning to master my footwork and the sword was already becoming..."

"... an extension of yourself. I know, Arthur." Gwen finished for him with a frustrated sigh that turned into a wounded frown. "That is precisely what worries me."

"The swords are small and wooden."

"The swords are pointy." Gwen countered obstinately.

"They are blunted, smoothed and innocuous per your request." Placing large, warm hands on her shoulders, Arthur jostled her gently as if trying to shake the concern from her eyes. "_Guinevere_, I know what I'm doing." Arthur soothed. "I'd rather die than let any harm come to them. But you know that." There was a pause in which Arthur asked the ultimate. "Trust me?"

It was the last two words that did it. And the way his fingers gently grazed the tip of her chin as he tilted her face, and with it her gaze, upward just in time to witness the plea in his cerulean blue eyes. The warmth, the sincerity, the confidence waiting for her there was something Guinevere Pendragon had never been able to resist.

She visibly melted under his patient, loving gaze. Arthur rewarded her with a heart-stopping smile.

"You know, you could come and watch." A proud and victorious Arthur offered, half hopeful.

The suggestion prompted a violent shake of Gwen's noble head. "Nooo, I don't think so. I couldn't bear it." Arthur's amused smile garnered an irritated pout. "What? I nearly had a heart attack watching you have knives thrown at your foolish head." When Arthur's expression crumbled into confusion, Gwen readily reminded him. "Your birthday celebration. Nearly seven years ago."

"Oohhhh, riiiight." Arthur nodded in remembrance, then turned his attention back to the task at hand. Namely, extricating his sons from the hands of their adorably clingy mother. "Well, then...go tend a garden or embroidery something or...do whatever it is a beautiful queen tends to do on the day her sons pick up their first swords."

"But…"

"Guine_vere_, that's not a request. It's an order."

"But…"

"One that if disobeyed will result in an afternoon in the stocks." At her audible gasp, Arthur's index finger made an appearance, it's taunting wag as obstinate as the look in Arthur's eyes. "Don't think I won't do it."

The threat was an empty one. But it still did the trick. Guinevere's defeated sigh, her slumped shoulders, was enough to tell him he'd won the battle.

Finally.

For the day.

A pleading gaze met his. "At least let me say good-bye."

"Good-bye?" In that moment, Arthur knew he'd never seen anything more beautiful than his wife loving his children. He bit back a smile. "You'll see them again in an hour."

But the reassurance was lost on Gwen as she rushed to and knelt before her pride and joy, hugging them both to her. "Oh, my darling poppets. You're growing up so fast. This is such a big day for you both and Mummy is so _very, very _proud." She pulled back to look into their miniature faces and sighed at her good fortune.

They were the spitting image of their father. Sweet, endearing faces. Big, expressive eyes. Perfect bone structure, envious long lashes and lips that would one day make the girls swoon. Her only obvious contribution was her dark, wavy hair to her eldest, her deep brown eyes to her youngest and their mocha-hued skin tones.

Fiddling with their tunics, Gwen forced her voice to be light and unconcerned. "Now, I want you to listen to everything your stubborn father says and be careful. I don't want you poking each other's eyes out, understand? And, if at all possible, always choose safety over pride." She paused and corrected herself knowing no such creature existed in the Pendragon dynasty. "Oh, what am I saying? You are your father's sons in every respect..." She sniffed back the waver in her voice. "Oh, boys..." Another crushing hug and a rain of kisses on each precious face ended with her heartfelt and oft repeated confession. "...I love you both...so much."

"Wuv you too, mummy." The twins chimed in perfect little-boy unison.

Blinking back tears that suddenly stung the back of her eyes, Guinevere stood, took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, turned her back to her sons and fixed her eyes on the door. The first step was the most difficult. Each one after broke her heart just a little bit. As she passed her husband, he stopped her with a hand on her arm and a provocative question.

"What? Don't I get a kiss too?"

Chin raised in defiance and fire flashing in her dark eyes, Guinevere spun on him. "On one condition, Arthur Pendragon - bring my boys home to me." A fine eyebrow arched in emphasis. "_Un_scathed."

"Well, that will be rather difficult seeing they aren't even leaving the castle grounds." Arthur quipped only to see the wife he adored morph into the fierce queen his enemies reluctantly admired, which was a far cry from and yet not so unlike the servant who captured his heart. "Duly noted..." Arthur cleared his throat and nodded his head in deference to her. "...my Queen."

Satisfied with her King's response, Gwen held her noble head high and exited the room with all the dignity a mother leaving her sons to fate could muster.

Arthur shook his head and chuckled at her retreating form then turned to face his sons with a clap of his hands. "Alright, boys. Let's see how quickly we can undo mummy's damage..."

In a matter of minutes, the twins were unwrapped and unencumbered. And happy to be so. As Arthur then turned his attention to reassembling the proper attire for the first of many training days, a new conversation began.

"Daddy?" Arthur's exact miniature tilted his head quizzically.

"Yes, Colin."

"Is mummy in trouble?"

"What? No, of course not."

Colin's twin joined the inquisition. "How's come she's upset?"

"That, my brave Coulby, is a question for the ages." Arthur tweaked Coulby's nose and grinned into his wife's eyes. He placed an arm around each and drew them to him. "Know this, boys, I love your mother to distraction, but there are times when it comes to the two of you I believe she has gone _quite_ insane."

The roll of his eyes and his comical expression prompted giggles from the young princes.

"So, mummy's just being silly?" Colin asked.

"Yes. And no." Arthur smiled at the boy's identical looks of confusion. He attempted to explain. "If your mother is being silly right now, it's because she loves you both very, very much. As she always has. As she always will. And a love like hers is something to treasure above all treasures."

"How's come above all?"

"That's a good question, Coulby." Arthur sat each son on a knee, his gaze turning thoughtful as he tried to put into words exactly what the three Pendragon men, and by extension all of Camelot, had in their possession. "She is above all because your mother's love is Camelot's greatest strength. We, as Camelot's first defenders, are stronger than we ever thought we could be because of her love. It makes us brave and bold and shields us better than any piece of armor, because it protects our hearts from our own invisible enemies, like doubts and insecurities. Her love gives us the courage to trust ourselves and follow our own paths. And in the dark of night when we are most afraid, it is your mother's love that comforts and holds us steady and unwavering until we are ready to face our greatest challenges."

"Her love gives us more than just reason to fight...it gives us a reason to win. And it is her love that brings us home, battle after battle, war after war. It's a rare find, my boys. Not every prince is fortunate enough to have a mother love him the way your mother loves you. And certainly not every king. Without it, we are nothing more than empty men with powerful weapons. And empty men are always doomed to fail. Don't ever forget that."

"Do we make her strwong too?" Colin asked, his large blue eyes fixed on his father's face.

"More than you will ever know." Arthur answered cryptically.

"But mummy looked sad." Ever the sensitive one, Coulby's lips formed a pout as his warm dark eyes saddened. "I don't wike it when she's sad."

"Me eiffer."

Arthur looked from Colin to Coulby, his heart swelling with pride and his agile mind already in motion, forming a plan. "How about this then? After we train, we'll go pick her some flowers to show her how much we love her. Then we will make dinner for her and give her a special night. What do you say?"

"She wikes purple flowers." Colin offered.

Coulby perked up. "And white. She wikes white ones too."

"Yes, she does." Arthur grinned as he tousled each boy's hair.

"And pancakes! Daddy, can we make pancakes? Mummy wuuuuuves pancakes."

"I think that's more your cherished dish than hers, but...well see." A non-committed Arthur winked. "Alright, then. It sounds like we have a plan." Arthur unfolded himself and rose to his full height as he smile proudly down at the heirs of Camelot. "So, what do you say? Are you ready to become the next knights of Camelot?"

"Yeah!"

And with that, the Pendragon men charged into the future with the love of a mother leading the way.

tbc...


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: Thank you very much for your feedback! It is MUCH appreciated. Here's the next installment. Just as a heads up, this chapter is a sort of Arthur and Gwen's mental transition from mommy/daddy to husband/wife. Pure fun and fluff.

Hope you enjoy! Would love to hear what you think.

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

Arthur Pendragon was a man with a plan.

Actually, that's not quite accurate.

He was a man with a goal. And a very vague outline of how to reach it.

Since that goal was to seduce his ever-enticing and usually compliant wife, he wasn't worried too much about the details. In fact, this was going to be one of those go-with-the-flow-see-what-mood-my-wife-is-in-and-bring-her-round kind of nights.

Because, after all, it had been that kind of day.

No matter what stolen moments Arthur tried to conjure, Guinevere somehow managed to dispel them. Each hallway where he laid in wait was avoided. Every dark corner that held the promise of an illicit rendezvous was ignored. Dinner with the children had been just that. She barely cast a glance in his direction, effectively evading his hungry gaze. And she slipped out of the beginning of an embrace more times then their sons had years.

As the sun dipped its golden head in homage to the coming night, Guinevere Pendragon remained un-kissed, untouched and un-conquered.

Any other man might have been angry. Any other many might have been despondent. Any other man might have felt a heavy blow to his ego.

Arthur Pendragon was _not_ any other man.

He was a hunter who loved the thrill of the chase. He was a champion who savored the thrust and parry of a challenge. He was a lover who relished the ebb and flow of the dance.

As he said good night to his sons and watched his wife usher them toward their bedchamber, Arthur silently promised a retreating Guinevere a dance she would never forget.

He'd done his due diligence.

Her maidservant had been excused for the rest of the night. His paperwork was finished and tucked away. The fireplace was aglow with a well-tended fire. The faint smell of exotic sandalwood was in the air. New candles had been placed, unlit, strategically around the room. He'd even consulted an expert on the matter.

Once the setting was in order, Arthur turned a critical eye on himself.

He'd changed into breeches that were just tight enough to showcase all of his assets and specifically chose the white linen shirt that - for reasons that still remained a mystery to Arthur - was Gwen's favorite. He secretly called it his white-shirt-of-resistance-is-futile. She secretly made sure it lived up to its name.

Now, in their private haven he waited for his Guinevere to return.

And the dance to begin.

Unbeknownst to him, in another part of the castle, a conversation was taking place that threatened to thwart all of his plans.

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><p>"Merlin! Oh, thank goodness. I was just sending someone to fetch you."<p>

Merlin stepped from the hallway into the light filtering out from the princes' bedchambers, concern written on his face. "Gwen, what is it? What's wrong?"

Gwen glanced over her slender shoulder at her two overly rambunctious sons, the frown on her lips pronounced. They were both jumping on Colin's bed, preparing to pretend fight with make-shift swords.

"Ant gward!" Shouted a fierce Colin.

Coulby dropped his sword and shook his head in intense disapproval. "Colin! S'not what daddy said!"

"Is too!"

"S'not!"

"Is too!" Colin rejoined before taking up his stance and challenging his brother once more. "Ant gward!"

"Cols! You gotta say it right or I'm not pwaying!"

"Boys! Enough arguing. If you can't play nicely, I'll take both of your swords away and you'll go to bed post haste." Gwen reprimanded sharply. Or as sharply as Gwen could ever be. It earned her all of five seconds of silence before they resumed their bickering, albeit in hushed tones.

Wisely realizing that was the most she was going to get on this particular night at this particular juncture of their young lives, Gwen rolled her eyes and turned to Merlin, flustered. "I need your help on a matter of grave importance. It is, in fact, a matter of state."

"Allllright. Does it have to do with Arthur or..." He nodded past her shoulder at the bouncing boys.

"Both, I'm afraid." Gwen explained. "You know what today was."

"Yes, it was the boys' first training day. In fact, I was coming round to see how it went." His face scrunched questioningly. "Dare I ask?"

Gwen's face split into a proud grin. "Oh, Merlin. They were adorable and brilliant and..." The renewed ruckus behind her put an end to all her praise. Gwen squeezed her eyes shut and bit back a scream of royal proportions, her shoulders lifting and falling with the effort. Then she launched into a rant that took all of ten seconds and occurred all in one breath. Complete with appropriate hand gestures. "You know they are my heart and soul, but I promise if I have to hear one more word about how they bested each other on the training grounds today with all the cursed Pendragon pride they can muster I fear I shall strangle their darling little necks myself."

Merlin chuckled and placed a calming hand on Gwen's shoulder. "Would you like me to put them to bed tonight?"

"Oh, Merlin, could you? I'm used to their energetic little selves, but _this_ has Pendragon written all over it."

"Of course, I will."

The relief that washed over her was as comical as the impromptu kiss she placed on Merlin's cheek was surprising. "You are an angel sent from heaven above."

Merlin grinned from ear to ear. "Nothing doing. You know I love the boys as if they were my own."

"I know." She beamed. "And they love you right back."

Ushering Merlin into their room, Gwen spun to face her sparring sons, her excitement instantly gaining their attention. "Poppets, look who's here to tuck you in tonight."

"Uncca Merwin!" The boys shouted in unison.

It was Merlin's turn to beam.

"Lookie, lookie, daddy gave me a sword!" Colin produced his sword with a proud grin.

"And lookie, Uncca Merwin!" Not to be outdone, Coulby produced a small round shield that covered three fourths of his miniature frame. "Daddy gave me a shields! Wanna polish it?"

Gwen giggled. Merlin scrunched his nose in disgust before a slow smile touched his lips. "Why don't we see if Sir Gawaine would like to polish it tomorrow, shall we?"

"Yes!" Coulby agreed with an excited jump. Colin followed suit. "Sir Gawaine! Sir Gawaine!"

"Alright now, boys, settle down a bit." Merlin interjected when he saw his idea take hold and start to spin out of control. "Your Mummy and I have something very important to talk about then I want to hear all about your day. I might even tell you a story and give you a magic show. But..." He held up a finger of warning. "...only if I return to you both in your beds and quiet as little mice."

The transformation was magical.

So magical, in fact, that Guinevere almost regretted her impending absence. But as Merlin mentioned, they had something very important to discuss. And then Guinevere Pendragon had something very important to do.

Instead, she floated to their sides, placed a loving kiss on each adorable cheek, whispered her heartfelt wishes for a good night's sleep then stepped into the hallway with Merlin, closing the door halfway behind her.

"Now, don't make the story too long." A motherly Gwen instructed.

"I won't."

"Or the magic too fantastic." She added with a little smile, knowing that request would be harder for Merlin to fulfill. Especially with her boys as his audience. "They'll never get to sleep if you do."

"Don't worry. I have magic for that too." Merlin grinned. "So, there was something else you needed?"

"Right." Gwen bashfully averted her gaze. "Well, ummm...you see, Merlin, my request is...well, it is of a rather delicate nature."

A hint of earnest alarm raced through his eyes. "Whatever it is, Gwen, you know you can trust me."

"That is true." Gwen agreed before expanding on her earlier statement. "But this is so delicate, in fact, that if you utter one word to anyone..." Gwen transformed into Arthur right before his eyes. "...I will have you drawn. And quartered. After dipping you in a vat of hot oil."

Merlin breathed a sigh of relief. Then Merlin treated the non-threat like any other he had received from the Prince in days long gone. "You know it's true what they say. After a time, couples do start to resemble each other. Ah, yes, I'm seeing the toad-like features beginning to emerge as we speak..."

"Merlin!" Merlin chuckled at her playful slap and adorably offended expression.

"Whatever it may be, your secret, my Queen..." Merlin solemnly promised with an exaggerated bow. "...is safe with me." He righted himself then casually leaned against the stone wall. "So, what can I do for you?"

There was a pause. There was a bottom lip bitten in uncertainty. Then there was a deep breath and the determined set of her chin.

"I need an anti-love potion or spell or..." Her hand fluttered nervously in the air as her words practically tumbled over each other. "...whatever you can whip up for me in the next few minutes. Before I go to Arthur. It needs to take effect immediately and cease at will. Or an established time, if that's the preferred method, I'm not quite sure how these things work..."

Merlin blinked. Three times. Rapidly. Then he scratched behind his ear, his head tilted to the side as if a new position would unscramble the jumble of words that couldn't possibly mean what he just heard.

For if they did, it could spell the end of Camelot.

"I'm...I'm sorry. Can we go back to the anti-love portion of this conversation? Why would you need...are you trying to fall out of love with Arthur?"

"What? Oh, no! No, no, not at all." Alarmed, Gwen recoiled from the thought and reconsidered her request. "Maybe...anti-love is the wrong word?"

"Well, you might want to choose the right word because these types of enchantments can be rather tricky." Merlin chuckled in confusion as Gwen nervously bit her nails in renewed concentration. "Gwen, what's going on?"

Gwen offered a dramatic sigh. "You see, Merlin, I've been trying to teach my husband a lesson today."

"What lesson?"

"I'm not quite sure." She declared definitively. "But I know he needs to learn it and I'm in the mood to teach it."

Her chin tilted stubbornly and dared a challenge.

Merlin was too smart to argue with her. But, as usual, not smart enough to keep his thoughts to himself. "Aaaand people wonder why I've never married." He muttered under his breath.

Gwen shot him a look that would wither a lesser soul and continued, choosing rather to let that comment go. For now. "But, you see, there is a_...slight_ problem with my plan."

"What's that?"

"Well...after observing him with the boys today and watching him swing that..." Her bosom heaved with something that could only be described as a half sigh, half whimper and all swoon. "...really_, really_ big sword with those big, strong hands of his..." Her eyes drifted closed, a pink tongue darted out to wet dry lips and a fluttering hand rested against her heart as she melted into the silence of an Arthur-induced fantasy that was based on events that were all too real.

Merlin cleared his throat. "Uh, Gwen?"

"Huh? Oh!" Gwen snapped out of her daydream, an embarrassed flush rushing to her cheeks as her chagrined gaze shifted. In the awkward silence that followed, she tried to look the very picture of a nonchalant lady of royalty as she delicately smoothed the invisible creases in her dress and delicately cleared her throat.

She glanced over at him. He was waiting. Grin in check. Eyes laughing at her.

She'd been caught. And she knew it. And this was, after all, Merlin. She instantly deflated. One upraised eyebrow and a quirk of his lips and Gwen gave up all pretense in mock irritation and a rushed confession. "Yes, well, let's just say, I've never wanted him more."

His twinkling blue eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Hmmm. As I recall you've said that before. Many times, in fact."

"Oddly enough, it's true every time." Gwen sighed absently, as if that fact was still as much a mystery to her as anyone. A darling little smile played along her lips signaling the secret knowledge that, given her experiences with said husband, it was the least mysterious thing of all.

"Gwen, what exactly are you trying to do?"

"Hmmm?" Momentarily distracted by the obvious, Gwen was dragged back to the topic at hand. "Oh, right. Arthur has tried on several occasions today to...woo me. And I..." Her smile held a note of pride. "...have resisted each and every attempt. Rather valiantly, I might add."

"Why would you..."

"The lesson, Merlin. The lesson." An increasingly impatient Gwen reminded him.

"The one you can't name."

"Yes."

"Huh. Ok. Soooo...the problem then is..."

She looked positively incredulous. "I know Arthur. By now he is sitting in our bedchamber plotting the use of his _considerable_ charms. On me. Tonight. As revenge."

"How can it be revenge if you like his considerable charms?"

Exasperated, Gwen shot Merlin a look. "It's a husband-wife thing, Merlin."

"Like the lesson." Merlin mused, trying his best to make sense out of the illogical ways of a woman. And a married one at that. "How will you know he's learned it if you yourself don't know what it is?"

"Really, Merlin. Is that what we're going to dwell on? I have a problem and need your help. Why must you insist on making me think?" Not waiting for his answer, she shook her head, a comical look of defeat passing over her expression. "I'm doomed. I won't last a minute. Thirty seconds if he's wearing that blasted white kissing shirt. Fifteen if he says my name..."

"His white kiss..." Merlin stopped himself, and threw his hands up in protest. "I don't even want to know." He thought a moment, leaving Gwen in tortured silence. Then he turned to her suddenly with a twinkle in his eyes. "So, what you really need is an anti-charm spell."

"Yes! Yes, that would be perfect!" An animated Gwen agreed. Then retreated. "Wait. What exactly would that do?"

"Well, Gwen, the name _is_ rather indicative." Merlin rolled his eyes and clarified. "It would help you resist his charms, considerable or not."

"Will I be able to resist a look?"

"A look."

"Yes, well, Arthur can uh..." The suggestiveness of her smile, the dreaminess of her sigh indicated they were headed back into fantasy land and a slow-on-the-uptake Merlin suddenly began to see her problem. "...well, he can make me come undone with a look." She noticed Merlin's upraised eyebrow and wary expression. "Oh, don't look at me so odd, Merlin. It's not just _any_ look. It's _intense_ and..._delicious_ and..."

"Gwen, I'm learning way too much about you."

"Oh, please. I'm sure that in all this time Arthur has divulged a few secrets of his own."

"Maybe a few." Merlin conceded with a hint of a smile. "But for the most part, I know what I know by what he tends to reveal when he's watching you. In fact, there's this one look that...OH! _That_ look."

Gwen chuckled at Merlin's enlightened expression. "Yes, Merlin. _That_ look."

"And that makes you come undone?"

"Every time its tried." A evocative smile played on her lips and she suddenly felt the need to fan herself. And so she did. "Is it getting hot in here?"

"Only in your mind." Merlin quipped only to receive another slap on his arm. He laughed at the blush creeping up her face then turned his attention back to the issue at hand. "Right. Kissing shirt. Name. Look. Is there anything else of particular weakness?"

"Too many to list."

"A general charm spell it is then."

"Oh. What about a time limit?" Gwen asked then responded to the quizzical look on Merlin's face. "What? I don't want to resist him _all_ night."

"I could spell it to end at will."

Gwen shook her head vigorously and flashed a self-conscious grin. "Noooo, I don't think that's a good idea. As you can tell, my will is rather weak right now. Hence, the need for the spell..."

"Ah, yes. That _has_ become rather apparent." Merlin quipped, biting back a rumble of laughter. He cleared his throat instead. "Well, how much time would you need? An hour?"

"Oh, heavens, no. Spell or no spell I could never resist for that long." Gwen smirked as a devilish glimmer sparked in her eyes. "Spell or no spell, I wouldn't want to."

Merlin seemed not to notice her obviously suggestive tone and offered a second option. "How about...thirty minutes?"

"No, ten."

"Ten. Are you sure?"

"No. Make it twenty."

"Twenty."

"Yes, well, I want to..." Gwen silently played out the rest of the night in her head. "...then I want to...and then there's..." She nodded and bounced with eager anticipation on the balls of her feet. "Hmmm, yes. Twenty minutes should do quite well."

"And you're _absolutely_ sure you want to do this?"

"Merlin, have you _not _been paying _any_ attention?" Was Gwen's only reply.

"Right. Lessons to be learned and all." Merlin turned to Gwen and released a sigh. "Alright, then. Let the resistance begin..."

Shaking his head, Merlin entered the prince's bedchambers with a chuckle.

"Lookie, Uncca Merwin, we're being quiet as mice." Colin informed Merlin in a loudly hushed tone he obviously thought was a whisper.

"I see that." Merlin noted with praise as he slipped onto the edge of Coulby's bed.

"Did mummy make you laugh?" Coulby inquired, seemingly out of the blue. "Cuz we heard giggles and Mummy always makes us giggle."

"She did indeed." Merlin confirmed as he reached over and tweaked both of their noses. "In fact, I believe you two have the silliest mum in all of Camelot."

Colin was quick to correct Merlin. "If mummy's being silly, it's only cuz she wuvs us so much."

"Is that so?"

"Uh-huh. Daddy said." Coulby confirmed.

"Yeah? What else did daddy say?"

"That's she's quite insane." Colin offered flippantly as he played with a stuffed bunny, a present from Merlin on the two-year anniversary of his birth.

"Yes, well, that about sums it up." Merlin quipped before turning to the task at hand. "So, who wants to tell me about their first day as future knights of Camelot?"

tbc...


	3. Chapter 3

Hey everyone!

I know it's been an incredibly long time since I've updated this story - sorry for that. Real life and all. Here's the next part with Arthur and Gwen. I will be posting the next chapter soon.

Hope you enjoy and would love to hear your feedback.

Thanks!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

Guinevere Pendragon entered the royal bedchamber and instantly knew two things.

One: her instincts had been correct. Her husband had indeed planned an ambush.

Two: she had been right to enlist Merlin's help. For without it, her cause was already lost.

The gently roaring fire, in and of itself would have not been out of the ordinary. Combined with the newly installed - and as of yet - unlit candles as well as the exotic fragrance in the air, it was a dead give away. What was glaringly absent, however, was the organizer of such a setting.

Arthur was nowhere in sight.

Chalking it up to an unexpected obligation of the royal kind, Gwen made her way across the room and advanced toward the bed, lost in thought and grateful to have a few moments to steel herself against whatever Arthur had planned.

Unfortunately for Gwen, Arthur was well skilled in sneak attacks.

"The boys in bed?"

Startled, Gwen jumped and spun around so quickly she nearly bumped her nose against an exposed chest in the sea of white that filled her vision. Her soft body, on the other hand, did not escape a full-on collision with hard muscles and radiating heat.

He was Just. That. Close.

Her breath caught and a wild blush rushed to her cheeks as her traitorous knees wobbled unsteadily. Even she knew it had nothing to do with his sudden appearance and everything to do with his proximity. Taking a step back, she tried to compose herself.

Try, being the operative word.

She took him in with one glance. White shirt. Tight breeches. Hands on hips in a casual, confident stance that on other men was appealing, but on Arthur Pendragon was downright lethal. Full, red lips tilted in a come-hither smile. And devilish blue eyes scanning every inch of her, lingering oh-so-obviously in the general vicinity of her ample - and suddenly heaving - bosom. That was, of course, before sliding up to her lips where they threatened to hover for a deliciously long time.

Ambush indeed.

"Arthur! You startled me."

"Why? Were you expecting someone else in our bedchamber?" Arthur inquired, eyes sparking with a wicked taunt, an amused smirk forming on his lips. Clearly, he was enjoying her discomfort a _bit_ too much.

Gwen's eyes narrowed. "Yes, actually." Her chin rose defiantly before she spun back around and focused all her energy on placing a small vase of white and purple flowers on the night stand with exact precision. It took more than just a great effort to still the shaking of her hands and keep the breathlessness out of her voice. It took every ounce of willpower. "Where's Rachel?"

"I sent her home. After all..."

Heated fingers slid up her back and found their home at the apex of neck and exposed shoulder. A lone thumb trailed the short length from the top of her tunic to the base of her neck then wrapped itself in a tiny curl before languidly returning to its original path to repeat its original journey. Gwen's eyes drifted closed at the tingles shooting to parts of her body she couldn't even name. His warm breath at her ear sent a clump of curls into a riotous dance and a rebellious shiver down her spine. And the scent that was uniquely Arthur accosted her with the sweetest vengeance, making her dizzy and pleasantly out of sorts.

"...if I can't undress my own wife, what good am I?"

_Oh, heavens. This is going to be so much harder than I imagined. He's barely touched me and I'm already all aquiver. One more huskily-voiced suggestion like that and I'll be his for the taking. Is the spell even working? What was it Merlin told me to do? Think, Gwen, think. Oh, right. Silently repeat the phrase Merlin gave me. Even if it IS the furthest thing from the truth... _

Gwen squeezed her eyes shut, concentrated really hard and looped the chant over and over in her mind.

_Arthur is an ugly toad. Arthur is an ugly toad. Arthur is an ugly toad._

And just like that, renewed willpower flowed through her. The tingles were gone. Her knees were steady once more, and the shivers that threatened to take her over vanished like a vapor. When she turned to face Arthur a moment later, it was with a calm and unaffected air.

"What good, indeed." Gwen smiled up at Arthur, gave his chest a chaste pat then sidestepped him as if he were nothing more than a stone cold pillar.

Arthur blinked rapidly, stunned. He could have sworn he'd felt her shiver. And there was no denying the blush coloring her mocha skin or the sigh that escaped her when he whispered in her ear...

Taken back by her sudden change in demeanor, but still undeterred, Arthur relaxed into the bedpost, arms crossed over his chest, and settled in to admire the gentle sway of her hips as she glided toward the cabinet that held their bedding and nightly attire. That sight alone sent his temperature skyrocketing and his body into a state of sensory awareness. Arthur blew out a short, heavy breath and marveled at the wonder that was Guinevere. What that woman could do to him just by simply walking across the room...

He deliberately shifted his gaze upward and assessed the situation. If she was affected at all by his initial attempt to seduce, she was attempting not to show it. Which meant he had a challenge on his hands.

_Good._ _I so love my Guinevere-inspired challenges. _

He grinned mischievously. His next ploy should weaken that calm, sturdy resolve of hers.

It always did.

"You know what I was thinking today?"

"Hmm, what?"

"That it's about time for the people of Camelot to have a princess to fawn over."

Gwen's hands paused momentarily in their task. _Oh, he wouldn't use that, would he? _Gwen rolled her eyes and bit back a chuckle. _Yes. Yes, of course he would. He's done it before with great and repeated success. That shameless, darling little devil... _

_"_Is that so?" Gwen inquired, keeping her voice light and attention averted. For expanding the Pendragon legacy with the addition of another child was one hope Guinevere had fervently shared with her husband for years. The disappointment of a few false alarms and one early miscarriage had done little to deter their desire or willingness to valiantly try, try, and try again.

"It is _quite _so. I can even picture her." His voice grew dreamy and Gwen knew, without seeing, the look that was stealing over his expression. "Long, bouncing curls. Beautiful warm eyes. A smile that would brighten the day of even the most wretched of men. And cute little freckles across her sweet little face. Just like her mum." His tone shifted from dream to reality. "You know she'd be Camelot's little angel."

"I'm sure she would." Gwen agreed as she replaced the gown she'd originally chosen to wear and decided instead to let the night play out in all of its planned unpredictability.

Like a hunter stalking his prey, Arthur pushed himself away from the bedpost and approached slowly, cautiously - careful not to chase away the tender doe in his sights. "So..."

"So?"

"What do you think?"

"_I _think..." Gwen closed the cabinet and turned to face him, a knowing smile on her lips. "...I know what you're doing."

"Well, if you don't, then I'm doing something wrong." Arthur quipped, amused.

Gwen ignored his obviously suggestive tone and dove headfirst into an entirely different reason altogether. "You think if I have a little girl to fuss over, our boys will be _all _yours to do with as _you_ please."

"What?" Arthur feigned innocence. "That thought didn't even..."

A dark eyebrow rose, halting his protest.

Arthur sighed and conceded without a fight. There was no point really. The woman knew him too well. "Alright, so maybe it did, but only once and very briefly." He tentatively wrapped his arms around her waist and slowly drew her to him. That she let him was a small victory of sorts, even if she hadn't yet melted into his embrace. "So, what do you say? Do you want to make a princess with me?"

"You know the answer." Gwen softly conceded herself.

"And _you _know the means."

He was so shamelessly focused and downright obvious about it, she couldn't help the smile that curved her lips or the coyness that slipped through her expression only to settle in her warm eyes. She didn't even try. After all, in the end, they both had the same goal. "Arthur Pendragon, are you trying to seduce me?"

"If I say yes, will you let me?"

"If I say no, what will you do?"

"Let you seduce me instead?" Arthur suggested, rather suggestively.

"_That_, Arthur, is a _distinct_ possibility." Gwen promised. With conditions. "But only once your reasoning for having said princess doesn't leave so much to be desired."

Arthur opened his mouth to counter, but Gwen had already danced out of his arms and across the room where she began to turn down the bed with the efficiency of her former profession. He noticed she'd taken no night dress out of the cupboard and smiled to himself.

Whatever was going on with her, whatever was keeping her from his arms, she didn't intend for it to last forever. Or even till the morning, for that matter. No, she wanted him as much as he wanted her. Of that, he was sure. But something was keeping her stubbornly, adorably resistant.

Probably one of those famous lessons of hers. The ones he'd learned to spot coming at him from a thousand paces. They were rarely taught in words, and through the years he'd actually learned to anticipate and enjoy the machinations his beautiful wife put him through for the simplest of points. Only this time, things were playing out a bit differently. There must be something big waiting at the end of all this.

He weighed his options.

So far, he'd been directly subtle. And subtly direct. Now it was time to just lay his cards out on the table and see what hand she played in return.

"You know, it'll be rather difficult to give the kingdom a new heir if my wife won't allow me to touch her."

"Oh, I don't know. There are other ways." Gwen rejoined.

He chuckled through his surprise. "Oh, really? Please. Enlighten me."

"We could always take a stroll down to the lower town, pick up some orphaned waif and make her our own."

"The lower town."

"Uh-huh." She glanced up at him, noting his bewilderment. "What? You did it once before and made her your queen. Look how that turned out."

Dense blue eyes narrowed with deliberate censure. "Hmmm, yes. I'm seeing that rather clearly right now."

Gwen sighed and tilted her head, assessing him. "Oh, now, Arthur, don't pout so." A corresponding pout formed on her own lips, but only to keep herself from bursting into laughter.

He did look rather pitiful with his lips pursed in disgruntled injury. So like their boys when they didn't get their way and were about to commence a royal fit. Stubborn, petulant - and adorably so. Since the spell would soon break and she had every intention of fulfilling his every desire when it did, it wouldn't hurt to throw him a bone. However small it may be.

"You know very well you always get what you want in the end."

"Yes, but for some reason you are thwarting my wants. You have been_ all _day." Arthur accused lightly before releasing a dramatic sigh. His shoulders rose and fell in a nonchalant shrug. "Oh, well. You leave me no choice. It's to work then."

Every good military strategist knows when to advance and when to retreat. And Arthur was a brilliant strategist. Now, with her holding what seemed like the upper hand, was the perfect time to withdraw and feign his own disinterest. To wait out his enemy, so to speak. At least until she breached the walls and ventured into his territory. Or initiated an ambush of her own. A part of Arthur secretly hoped she would. Because after all, watching Guinevere work her feminine wiles on him was always such a delight.

Arthur retreated to his desk where he sat, opened a book of unattended papers and began to sift through them with what appeared to be the most intense interest.

Gwen bit her lower lip as she silently watched him, regret and disappointment pouring through her. She hadn't expected him to give up so easily. Not after having gone to so much trouble to set a romantic stage, and especially not after an entire day of forced abstinence. And she certainly hadn't intended to injure or slight. She merely had a matter of great importance to discuss and feared his charms would chase the thoughts right out of her head. Given her body's involuntary reaction to him before he'd barely touched her, her fears had been well-founded.

But now, it was time to advance her cause.

So she could willingly surrender to his.

She moved to her night stand, pulled out two scrolls and turned back to Arthur, who was still silently lost in paperwork. Approaching his desk with a slow, determined step, Gwen paused then cleared her throat to gain his attention.

He pretended not to hear.

Gwen rolled her eyes and sighed loudly. "Arthur? May we speak?"

"That depends." Arthur answered without so much as a glance in her direction.

"On?"

"With whom shall I be speaking?" He signed his name with a flourish to an innocuous document he'd barely read. "My strong, rational wife that sends me off to battle with a kiss and a brave smile?" He pulled out the next order of business and pretended to peruse its contents. "Or the wife that occasionally chucks all sense and reason into a barrel..." He paused to sign his name. And for emphasis. "...and sends it careening off a cliff?" He glanced up at her then with a rakish grin.

She managed to keep a smile in check. Barely. "Does it really matter?"

"No. But I like to be prepared."

"Well, in that case...maybe a little of both."

"Well, in _that _case..." Arthur deliberately laid down his quill, leaned back in his chair and gave her his full attention. "...I'm listening."

Gwen squared her shoulders as if preparing for battle, took a deep breath and began. "After the events of this morning, I had an occasion to think. If you insist on continuing with the boys' training, then I, in turn, must insist that you meet a few demands."

Ah. He should have known. This was all about the boys. As was usually the case when an adorable Guinevere took adorable leave of her senses. Not quite the tact he'd expected she would take. Then again, she always was surprising him and this had already proven to be quite entertaining. He prepared himself for more of the same.

A golden eyebrow rose in surprise. "Demands? This must be serious."

It was not her right to make the request or her power to carry out any and every wish that fluttered into her beautiful head that Arthur questioned. It was her choice in letting him know she held the power to do so.

"It is."

"Alright then. Let's hear them."

"I've written them down." Gwen countered as she held out proof of her words.

"Oh, my. This _is _serious." Arthur quipped as he stared at the proffered parchment. He reached across the distance and took her demands in hand, opened the missive and began a silent reading. At each point, his eyebrow seemed to disappear further into his hair. "You want me to strap the boys to the horses so they can't fall off, jousting is to be done with leather lances and the mace shan't be attempted until they are at least fifteen?" Arthur couldn't help the chuckle that escaped. Though, for the record, he did try. "Guinevere, you realize we can't do this."

"I do indeed." Gwen conceded quickly and reassuringly. "Which is why I also wanted to give you this."

She offered him a second scroll.

"And this is?"

"My compromise with myself."

Arthur's eyes narrowed. His gaze, first focused on this 'compromise' as she called it, shifted to her, full of sudden suspicion. "Tell me." Rising from his seat, Arthur came around to where Gwen was standing and placed himself between her and the desk, then leaned back. "Did you come up with all of this before or after you watched the boys train today?"

Her surprise was evident. "What? But, how did you..."

Blue eyes laughed down at her. "Guinevere, really. For years now, it has been a _great_ pleasure of mine to watch you. There isn't a wave of your dainty hand..." A hand he slowly, deliberately gathered in his. "...a turn of your beautiful head..." Gently pushing himself away from the desk, he reached out and ran a lone finger down the side of her face before playfully caressing her chin. "...or a delicate footstep..." A sudden move pulled her to him. An arm slipped around her waist anchoring her in place. "...that I couldn't recognize from a thousand paces." He took a moment to scan her face, his intense gaze landing on her lips then snapping upward to meet her suddenly dazed gaze with a pointed message. "With my eyes closed."

Gwen swallowed hard and felt the blood rush once more to her cheeks. That tingle was back in full force and she was finding it increasingly hard to breath. When she spoke, a tell-tale tremor vibrated through her words. "Is...that...so?"

"Hmmm...very." His confirming whisper was like a warm, gentle breeze against her skin.

Arthur thrilled to the way her body trembled in his arms. How her gaze shifted with focused intensity to his lips. How shallow her breathing had become. He knew all too well the signs of his wife's descent into surrender. That it taken so little effort on his part was testament that he'd not been the only one to suffer through the temptations of the day.

Without thought or will, Gwen gravitated toward him. Her hands slid up his torso with slowly seductive intent and chestnut eyes grew almost black with desire as they latched on to a pair of lips hovering so close to hers. She wanted to kiss him so badly it hurt. Actually, physically hurt. Why, why, why must he always be so...irresistible? And why had she chosen this night of all nights to do just that? A moment of decision was at hand - either pursue her motherly crusade or offer a wifely surrender without a fight. Her husband's heart thundered beneath her hand. Her son's faces wavered before her...

_Arthur is an ugly toad. Arthur is an ugly..._

Her gaze slipped upward to meet his. The stormy desire waiting for her in those placid, blue depths broke all resistance.

_Oh, blast it all. Spells be damned._

She tilted her head upward and leaned closer, her lips parting in invitation...

Then, like a flame cruelly snuffed out, Arthur shrugged, dropped her hand and sidestepped her, much as she'd done him earlier. The shift came so quickly, Gwen nearly lost her balance and had to use the desk for support. Arthur continued speaking, seemingly oblivious to the effect he'd had on her. "Besides, your bright red cloak was a dead give away. I could see you coming before you came out of the servant's entrance."

"Oh."

And for the life of her, Gwen couldn't tell if that 'oh' was a direct result of having been discovered so easily or an intense disappointment that his lips were no longer within reach. Or both. If the pounding of her heart and the intense ache inside of her was any indication...

Biting back a grin, a devious Arthur moved to a side table where a pitcher of water was always present. As much as he wanted her...and he _did_ want her...a little payback was only fair. After all, that was only a small taste of what he'd had to endure all day. He poured himself a mug and let his chuckle get lost in a deep gulp of water. Oh. So. Very. Close. Just a little bit longer and she would be a pliable mass of flesh ready and willing to be molded to his every desire. Like clay in the hand of a master potter.

"If it means anything, I am glad you came. Though why you bothered, I'll never know." Arthur continued as if nothing were amiss.

It took a moment longer than usual for his words to penetrate the fog surrounding her brain, but when they did, Gwen bristled and turned to face him. "And what do you mean by that?"

She caught him in mid-swig. "Hmm, well..." Arthur swallowed then explained. "...you spent all of your time hidden, most of which you had your hands over your eyes and your bottom lip between your teeth. I distinctly recall a moment when I actually prayed..." He cast his eyes upward in attitude of supplication. "'...dear God, don't let her bite it off'."

"And why would that be of concern?"

"Wellll..." Arthur took another drink of water, set the mug down with deliberate exactness then retraced his steps back to her, his now moist lips tilting in that familiarly sensual way of his. "...last I checked, lips were required for kissing and there is a _small _matter..." He pulled her back into the circle of his arms. "...of one that you owe me. You know, for bringing your boys home to you..._ un_scathed."

One look in his laughing eyes and Gwen had his number. _Little devil, indeed._

He was enjoying himself. Immensely. Playing with her. Teasing her. Winding her up, letting her teeter on a dangerous edge, pulling her back to relative safety...then winding her up again. Well, two could play at that game. It was a good thing she'd had the foresight to slip a little something in her second set of demands that should properly wind _him _up.

She was tempted to utter the magic phrase once more. Tempted, but not yielding. After all, the hope of wiping that knowing arrogance from his lips was proving to be more potent than any magic spell could ever be in fortifying her resistance.

"_All _that is owed will be paid in due time, my luv. All in due time." There was a double-edged promise to those words and a daring glint in Gwen's eyes. Though it was increasingly difficult, she pushed herself out of his embrace. This time, she didn't go far. After all, there was a small matter that still needed to be addressed and once it was...

Gwen pressed the as-yet-unopened scroll to his chest, her eyes flicking downward. "My compromise."

Amused, Arthur took the document, cleared his throat, unrolled the scroll with a comically exaggerated flourish and began to read.

A moment of silence hung in the room.

"Now these..." Arthur pursed his lips and bobbed his head from side to side in silent agreement to the terms that met his gaze. "...these are demands I can live by."

"Can you really?"

"Of course. I don't want our boys vying against each other for power or position any more than you do. I remember too well the betrayal of family." Arthur commented evenly. "As for the rest, these are all very reasonable requests."

A genuinely relieved Gwen beamed and bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet. "I am so very glad we are agreed. I was worried that you might think them too frivolous and I..."

Arthur's brows knit in consternation.

"Hang on a moment here."

Oh. He must have reached _that _part. With hands locked behind her back, Gwen unconsciously, nervously twisted back and forth as she innocently hummed. "Hmmm?"

"What's this about a training schedule?" As he quickly scanned further, Arthur's eyes widened with surprise and disbelief. "Oh, you can't be serious. Guinevere, really."

His gaze met hers.

"What? If you are determined to put a sword in their hands, I am equally determined to put a broom."

"Guin-e-_vere_..."

"I will not have my boys growing up like spoiled little prats, Arthur Pendragon. And don't you dare give me that look. You know exactly what I'm talking about." A finger raised in chastisement dropped to poke him lightly in the chest for emphasis. Gwen had clearly prepared for this battle as she stepped into the arena, already swinging. "I want them to know how to cook for themselves, mend their own weapons, sew their own buttons if need be. I know they have servants and I know it's unconventional, but you and I, Arthur, are an unconventional king and queen. Our boys are the product of that and should be _o__ur _testament to the realm. Both yours _and_ mine."

Barely taking a breath, Gwen continued. "And when it comes their time, it is only right that they rule knowing what their decisions will do to their people. Having them spend some time in the lower town learning common men's trades will not only expand their experiences and resourcefulness, but it will make them better leaders. It will make them better men. They need to understand and appreciate the hard work that goes into maintaining a kingdom as much as they need to know how to negotiate a peace treaty or swing a sword. And if you have a problem with that, Arthur, then _we_ have a problem."

Arthur chuckled, his eyes dancing with admiration, as he placed reassuring hands on her shoulders. "Guinevere..." His pride in the passion and common sense of his wife was something Arthur always felt but could rarely express. Now was no different. Though he certainly did try. "...my fierce and noble queen, you can withdraw from the field of battle with honor. I agree with all that you've said."

Gwen blinked at that.

"You do."

"Without question."

Confusion crumbled her expression. "Then I don't understand. What is your objection?"

"You're going to teach them to woo?" His pointed look was as much question as it was accusation.

"Oh. That."

"Yes. That."

Gwen shrugged off his inquiry with a wave of her hand. "Well, I don't intend on teaching them right away, of course. They're just little boys. But it's never too early to instill in them the proper respect that every lady deserves. It is, after all, half the battle in winning a lady's heart."

"_That_, Guinevere, is not the issue."

Releasing an exasperated sigh, Gwen placed impatient hands on her shapely hips. "Then what is?"

"_You _will be teaching them instead of me _because._.."

It started as a smile that turned into a grin that flourished into a chuckle then outright laughter filling the room. "Oh, Arthur. That's so _sweet_ that you think you could."

Feeling more than a bit insulted by her reaction, instant irritation flushed blood red on Arthur's face. "I beg your pardon. There was nothing 'sweet' about that and did I not win you?"

Gwen struggled to contain herself. Precisely what she expected. She could always count on the male ego layered with that Pendragon pride to deliver to her an Arthur primed for gentle manipulation. "Yes. But that was in spite of yourself." Another giggle escaped. Then another as Gwen lovingly patted him on the chest and shook her head with an amused sigh. "Oh, Arthur. You are such a dear dollop-head sometimes."

Taking the parchment from him, she grinned, turned toward his desk and began to close up shop for the day. Now that she'd gained her husband's tacit approval on the plan to shape their sons' future, she was beyond ready to put her own secret plans in action.

"But...how can you...I...how..."

"Remember destiny and chicken?" Gwen tossed over her shoulder. Though that issue had been settled long ago, Gwen couldn't help the tightness of her tone. Perhaps because the lady in question still professed first official claim to Arthur's heart. "I do. Lady Vivian _never_ fails to remind me when she visits. Which is precisely why we keep _those _to once every other year and hide every chicken in Camelot when she does."

"I was not responsible for that! I was enchanted!"

"Yes, to love her. Your method of wooing, however, was all on you." Having tidied his desk, Gwen turned to face him. Noting his exasperation, her expression softened with sympathy. She approached him, gathered his face in her hands and sought to soothe and cajole. "Awww, don't get me wrong, luv." With a twist. "I'm glad you failed."

"Gwen, honestly." Ego now thoroughly bruised, Arthur defiantly removed her hands from his face, took a step back and struck the pose of a man having been falsely accused and ready to answer each charge in earnest. Hands on hips. Shoulders squared. Lips full and pursed with serious intent. "I know just as much about wooing a woman as any man."

"And that, Arthur, is the problem." Gwen answered, continuing to push buttons - and Arthur - in the direction she desperately wanted him to go. "Face it, dear, you have never been one for grand, romantic gestures like a...a bard singing my praises or poetry written by your own hand."

"Perhaps not." As expected, Arthur took up the challenge she'd subtly leveled without hesitation. Hard muscles flexed unconsciously beneath the white shirt, relaxed and flexed again. His jaw tightened stubbornly and his eyes snapped with raw determination. He was focused. Intense. Commanding. The very picture of a conqueror greedily eyeing his conquest just moments before he release the battle cry and claimed the spoils of his raid. "But let me tell you something, Guinevere Pendragon, I know the only thing any man needs to."

"Oh?" Gwen's heart triple-hammered in her chest as she secretly thrilled to the thought of her man proving just that. "And what is that?"

"What his lady wants."

Four words.

Just. Four. Words.

In a tone that brokered no argument. No resistance. No defeat.

And Guinevere Pendragon's victory was in sight.

"And what, pray tell, does_ your_ lady want?"

Her coy smile was not lost on Arthur. Nor was the flirtatious sweep of her gaze as she took him in, head to toe then back again. Pausing to admire, lingering provocatively. Her bottom lip slipped between her teeth in a sure sign of desire.

_Oh. Ohhh. Oh, that darling little minx. She just ambushed me and I fell for it. Well. Nicely played, Guinevere Pendragon. And now...turn about is fair play..._

Arthur lost no time answering his lady's unspoken request. A golden eyebrow rose. "First of all...ambiance."

With a snap of Arthur's fingers, the unlit candles spread throughout the room flared to life.

Gwen gasped in surprise and delight as she gazed around her. "Arthur, how did you..." She let the thought dangle, then answered her own question. "Merlin."

"No. Magic. Ours, to be exact." Arthur corrected cryptically. He held his hand out to her. "Does my lady like it?"

A sly smile curved Gwen's lips as her gaze focus a moment on his silent invitation before slipping upward to meet his steady, hungry gaze. She bit back a trembling sigh as a delicate hand slipped into his with deliberate, taunting slowness. "Indeed, she does."

His fingers closed over hers. There was a pause pregnant with tantalizing possibilities as they stared at each other. Desire. Longing. Need. The slow fire building between them sparked and blazed and threatened to consume. Intense. Raw. Palpable. And just when Gwen thought she would explode from the anticipation of Arthur's next move, he spoke.

"Then perhaps...she would also like..." Then in one smooth, lightening-quick move, Arthur unexpectedly spun her around and pulled her hard against him, back to chest. The low, predatory rumble in her ear was in direct contrast to the implied submission of his chosen word. "...a confession."

The room grew unearthly still. And hellishly hot. And there was simply no air left to breathe.

_Oh, sweet heaven above, this is going to be delicious_.

Trembling from Arthur's maneuver and heart thudding so loudly in her ears she could barely make out her own words, Gwen urged him on. "A...confession?" Gwen swallowed hard, her breath was now coming in short, erratic pants. A tongue darted out to wet suddenly parched lips. "And umm...what...what wicked deed have you done today?"

"None. _Yet._" That one gently clipped word held more promise than even Gwen had anticipated. Her eyes drifted closed as she sank into him, letting her soft curves mold into the hard lines of his body. She felt everything. The heart thundering against her back. Each flex of his muscles. Every breath. The low rumble of his voice in her ear vibrated through her, setting off intense sparks and making her insides tremble unmercifully. "But I do confess to learning my lesson."

"Lesson?"

A shiver chased down her spine when Arthur dropped a kiss on her shoulder. Then another. And another. Like raindrops of fire. The heat of them soaked into her skin and spread rapidly to the most delightfully intimate places. His provocative assault continued in her other ear as he nuzzled her neck first, then her hair, breathing her in and exhaling a unique mixture of deep satisfaction and pure desire. Gwen tilted her head to give him ample access as her fingers found the side of his face, lingered a moment for a loving caress then slid upward, getting lost in his silky hair.

"Mmmm, yes. The one you've been trying so very hard to teach me all day."

"Which is?"

"That I can spend days and nights away from you and return a tortured man." His hands moved from her waist and began to wander with purpose. "But being so close, having you in the same room, within reach and not be able to touch you...well, now..." Fingers dancing along her too sensitive ribcage and ghosting toward a favorite destination, Arthur trailed slow, hot kisses from shoulder to neck then nipped at Gwen's earlobe before finishing his thought. "...that's a special kind of hell on earth."

"Nicely..." Gwen struggled to speak, offering instead a prolonged sigh of pleasure in response to his determinedly roaming hands. "...put."

"Nicely taught." She felt the smile in his voice as it caressed her skin. "But here endeth the lesson. Agreed?"

"Mmm-hmm..." Gwen purred her answer, a clear indication that what she was agreeing to mattered little as long as his hands continued to work their magic.

"There's just one, _slight_ problem." Arthur intoned his disappointment.

"Oh? And what is that?" Fingers playing with the hair at the base of his neck, Gwen's lips tilted in an amused smile. Her husband was up to something more than the obvious. She'd know that tone anywhere.

"There are entirely too many layers of material between us."

_And there it is. We are now back at the beginning. He really is shamelessly obvious tonight._

There'd been no doubt he would gain her ultimate agreement. Not even the first time he'd suggested it. But there was something in the unspoken asking that hinted at a deeper need. That called to something fundamental between them. The equality of their union. The honor of their covenant. The inherently gentle ebb and flow of their love. And his profound desire to be given what he could easily take.

She readily, eagerly complied.

"Well..." Hands dropping to cover his, she moved them to the laces on her tunic before voicing her solution to their problem. Just in case her non-verbal suggestion was unclear. "...you did say something about undressing your wife..."

"Indeed." There was a satisfied smile in his voice. "Another confession?" Arthur offered before sending another shiver through her entire body. "I've been _dying _to do this..._all_ day."

"And I, with you."

Gwen's answer gained her a gentle kiss on her cheek. "Then let us die no longer."

For the next few moments, neither of them spoke. Neither of them breathed.

Arthur made quick work of the laces of Gwen's outer tunic then discarded the pins keeping her hair in place with irreverent haste. It was then he paused. He relished. He breathed her in. His hands slowly dove into her thick tresses, gently jostling them free from their constraints until a riot of waves cascaded down Gwen's back. His hands followed in seductive pursuit as they slipped between the sheer lace and heavy linen of her inner and outer tunic before journeying back up over her shoulders, down her arms, his determined fingers hooking the material and taking her outer tunic with them.

As her dress fell to the floor with gentle thud, Arthur's hands slipped downward to her tiny waist then lower to her shapely hips. A gentle nudge indicated his wishes. "And now, Guinevere..."

Complying, she turned and arched her neck to fully look into his face. One hand slipped through his hair sending heated chills vibrating through his body as her other hand instinctively found its way to cover his rapidly beating heart. There was no doubting the desire that flared in her eyes as she looked at him coyly then melted into him, leaving not even a breath to spare between them.

"Yes?"

Her warm breath blew against the exposed skin and Arthur immediately felt the impact in the goosebumps that spread over his flesh. He pressed his hand into the small of her back making her contact with his hardness more pronounced as his eyes locked with hers in an intimate promise. As his gaze drifted downward to place a blazing caress over the fullness of her lips, her tongue unconsciously snuck out in response, moistening the focus of his desire. "...I am a starving man."

"I'm quite famished myself." Gwen responded breathlessly.

"Perhaps, then, we should..."

Gwen stopped him with a finger to his lips. "Less talk, luv."

A smile spread beneath her touch as a knowing eyebrow lifted. "More action?"

"Mmm-hmmm." Gwen's lips tilted in eager acquiescence.

"What my lady wants..." Eyes locked, Arthur's lips hovered teasingly over hers. "...my lady gets..."

The kiss was not at all unexpected, nor was the explosive intensity of it.

Arthur's velvety lips slid over Gwen's in perfect rhythm contradicting the erratic beating of their hearts as his fingers tangled in her silky hair then slipped forward to grasp her jaw pulling her more deeply into him. A wave of dizziness shook them both to their core as Arthur sucked her bottom lip provocatively eliciting a soft moan of pleasure from deep inside Gwen. Gwen's tongue traced Arthur's lips teasingly, urging his openness, a silent request he readily complied to. Passion ignited like a burst of flame that threatened to consume as tongues and lips met hungrily. Caressing, exploring, stroking…becoming reacquainted with well-known territory as if they'd been separated for years instead of mere hours.

That's whe0n the unexpected happened. Guinevere felt ill. Positively, physically, stomach-churningly ill. She pulled out of Arthur's arms, spun away and covered her mouth in an effort not to gag. His hands were at her back instantly and she felt another lurch coming. His presence engulfed her and she gagged again. She quickly surmised the reason. "Oh, no. No, no, no, not now."

Arthur was instantly alarmed. "Guinevere, what's wrong?"

Hand on her stomach, she swallowed back the bile that had risen so quickly and began to frantically fan herself. "How long has it been since I came in the room?"

"I don't know. Ten, fifteen minutes maybe." Turning her toward him, Arthur dipped his head to gain her attention. His hands were on her face and the confusion and concern in his eyes made her regret having ever approached Merlin for help. She was going to maim that little magician the next time she saw him...

"Gwen, what is it?"

Biting her lower lip, Gwen's mortified gaze met his. "Oh, Arthur, I've done something rather silly."

"That seems to be the norm today." Arthur quipped as relief washed over him at her words. Silly he could handle. "What did you do?"

"I asked Merlin to spell me so I could..." She paused and swallowed hard. "...well, resist you."

"Resist me?"

Gwen's head bobbed in confirmation. Her averted gaze and fluttering hands were an outward indication of her inward angst. "After today I figured you'd plan some grand gesture to coax me into bed. And after watching you train today, I _so, sooo _wanted to be coaxed but..."

"You had to make your point about the boys first. I see." Arthur quickly surmised, his mind racing through the events of the evening, putting two and two together. Suddenly, things made a bit more sense. His gaze slid to her discomfited expression. He wanted so badly to laugh at her antics, but she looked so miserable and mortified standing there, he simply didn't have the heart.

Now.

Later perhaps...

"And I take it a side effect of this spell is the urge to lose your dinner if we kiss."

"It appears so."

"Well, if there's one thing I've learned from Merlin in all these years, it is that every spell can be broken." He paused, lost in thought. "Was there a time limit on the spell or was I to be tortured indefinitely?"

"I never intended to torture and I only asked for twenty minutes." A pretty pout formed on a now-humbled Gwen's lips.

"Twenty minutes." Pursed lips, a curt nod of his head and hands on his hips, a determined Arthur was not to be deterred. "Well, then. That gives us five to sit here and stare at each other or..."

"Or?"

Her gaze snapped upward to meet his, hope sparking like a freshly ignited flame.

"Five to prove me right." Arthur held his hand out to her, a challenging eyebrow raised and a predatory smile touching his lips. "That is, of course, if you dare risk it."

Gwen's smile returned in full force as she slipped her hand into his and let him pull her back home into the circle of his arms. Her hands drifted to his face in a gentle, loving caress. "For one of your kisses, Arthur Pendragon, I would risk the world."

This time the kiss was achingly slow and tantalizingly sweet.

So sweet it made her heart weep. So slow, she felt as if she were being savored. Worshipped. Torn apart bit by delicious bit. She sighed her immense approval. And that sigh turned into a moan. The moan into a plea. The plea into a demand...

And with two minutes to go, the spell was broken.

But for the rest of the night, the magic still remained.

tbc...


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey all - Thank you so much for all of the amazing feedback and wonderful support. Here's the continuation. Hope you enjoy! Only one more chapter left in this little saga...**

**Would love to hear your thoughts!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

Alternating sighs and purrs of quiet contentment escaped a fully sated Guinevere Pendragon as she lay in her slumbering husband's arms.

Watching the faint flicker of the still-burning candles play against the colors of the royal chamber's stained glass windows, she lightly, languidly caressed the muscled arm draped across her mid-drift and shivered as Arthur's warm breath danced across her shoulder. Acutely aware of the body pressed tightly against hers, Gwen felt the steady rhythm of Arthur's heart as it vibrated against her back, threatening to lull her back to sleep.

But her mind was too active to comply.

Arthur, on the other hand, had been sleeping peacefully for a while now. The energy he'd expended in loving her had certainly earned him the right to do so. Gwen's smile deepened as she felt the effects of their love making down to her weary bones. With a magic spell to break and a reputation for wooing to uphold, Arthur had gone far beyond the call of duty. As she knew he would. Which is precisely why she'd slipped the bit about teaching the ways of wooing into her demands at the last moment.

The spell's revelation only added to his incentive.

Guinevere couldn't have planned it better if she'd tried.

Arthur began to stir. Gwen glanced back over her shoulder and smiled at the sight that greeted her. With his tousled hair, parted lips and gentle breathing, Ablion's greatest king was, in sleep, as innocent and tender as a newborn child. Careful not to disrupt the gentle cocoon of his arms, she turned to face him and tucked her hands between cheek and pillow knowing, as always, she was about to see a miracle.

For watching Arthur wake was, without a doubt, one of Guinevere Pendragon's greatest pleasures, her day never feeling quite complete unless she started it just this way.

As reality pulled Arthur from a land of dreams, his peaceful expression slowly morphed into disgruntled irritation. As quickly as it came, the irritation dispersed and a nearly-contented sigh escaped him only to be replaced with a groan and a petulant pout.

Gwen bit back a giggle.

Eyes still closed, Arthur's lips slowly twitched into a knowing smile. "You're staring."

"How could I resist with such a worthy subject in view?" Amused, Gwen answered his mock accusation.

Gray-blue eyes still clouded with a mixture of sleep and reluctant wakefulness, blinked opened. As his wife's glowing face came into focus, a cocky smile slowly overtook his features. "So the spell has been broken then."

"The spell was never meant to keep me from admiring." Gwen answered with a responding smile, her hand gravitating to his face. "Only to make me resist that which I desired most."

A wicked sparkle of remembrance lit Arthur's eyes and dropped to his lips. "Well then, Merlin must not be as great a magician as we thought."

"No, he has _great _magic." Gwen surmised wisely. "But together, Arthur, ours is _much_ greater."

Liking her answer very much, Arthur swooped in unexpectedly and captured her lips in a kiss still tinged with the passion they'd shared only a few short hours before. He nuzzled her nose with his before planting another solid kiss on her lips. When he finally pulled back, it was with a husky pronouncement. "That, luv, it is."

Arthur settled back against his pillows and pulled Gwen into him, sighing deeply when her head settled into that perfect triumvirate of arm, shoulder and chest like it'd been carved out just for her. Dropping a kiss on the top of her head, he nestled his fingers into her thick, black tresses.

Gwen's eyes drifted closed as Arthur's fingers worked their magic. Only a few gentle caresses and Gwen felt tingles spreading throughout her body. She'd often wondered if she should advise him of the effect that particular manner of his had on her. Usually, it was a welcomed effect, but when she needed to talk to him, the distraction was unnerving.

"Arthur?"

"Hmmm?"

"About earlier..."

"Which part of earlier?"

The suggestive tone with which the question was delivered caught Gwen's immediate attention. She glanced up at him and caught the rakish tilt of his lips. Chuckling, she raised a warning eyebrow. "Not _that _part."

Arthur produced a pronounced pout. "Pity. I rather liked_ that _part."

"As there are no barriers between us, we can always revisit at will." Taking that as his cue, Arthur reached for her. Gwen pulled away slightly. "But..." Her lower lip slipped between her teeth and her eyes pleaded with him for understanding.

An understanding which he readily gave. "But...you're finally ready to share with me what's really been nagging at your heart all day?"

Gwen nodded and pressed a loving hand to his heart. "Once it is said, I am yours to do with as you please."

"Oh, well. With a promise like _that_ to be realized, how can I refuse?" A prompting eyebrow rose. "Well, go on. You have my undivided attention. As usual."

Gwen's gaze lowered to her hand splayed on Arthur's chest as she gathered her thoughts. There was so much to say, so much she'd been feeling the past few weeks, she wasn't quite sure where to start. Her soft gaze rose to meet his as he patiently waited for her to share her heart.

She started with an unexpected confession.

"I was so proud of you today."

"Me? Why?"

Harkening back to an earlier confession of his own, Gwen continued. "I watched you too. With the boys. You were so good with both of them, Arthur. You knew just what to say to make Coulby fight harder than his soft heart allowed and how to channel Colin's frustrations into something useful." Guilt clouded her expression. "Despite my...many doubts and protestations..."

"Guinevere..." Arthur began to protest, instinctively knowing where this line of hers was heading.

She propped herself up on her elbow in her earnest desire to make herself clear. "No, listen, Arthur. I know that with you as their guide, they will both excel. And I don't want you to think for a second that I don't trust you with them. I do. Implicitly."

His tweaked her delicate chin playfully. "Then why all the angst?"

"Well..." Her chagrined gaze shifted. "...because they're my babies."

"They're my babies too, you know." Arthur returned softly, his hand continuing to draw languid circles on her back.

"Yes, but not in the same way."

Arthur's movements halted abruptly. His gaze shifted to the canopy above them as he let out a measured breath. "Do not underestimate a father's love, Guinevere. It may be shown in different ways, but it's just as strong, just as steady as a mother's."

"Oh, Arthur, I know that. I didn't mean..." Hand on his cheek, Gwen turned his face toward her till his eyes met hers. They were layered with emotions she couldn't name. "Have I hurt you in some way?"

"No, luv." Arthur shook his head and sent her a reassuring smile before sobering. "But there are times when it comes to the boys that..."

"What is it, Arthur?" Gwen prompted when Arthur faltered.

Arthur took a deep breath and chose his words carefully. After all, this was not a subject easily broached. Especially since, in general, he adored the way she adored their boys. "I just think perhaps your proximity to them sometimes clouds your vision and makes you a bit blind to a few rather important things."

"Things like?"

"Well...me, for instance."

Distress instantly attacked Gwen's features. "You? How? Arthur, please, if I've neglected you in some way..."

A gentle finger halted her tumble of words. "First, you have done no such thing. And second, I only mean that the boys have two parents, not just one. You should never feel as if you and you alone are responsible for their upbringing and care. And I know that often with my extended absences and my focus on state matters, it may seem that way. But in my heart, Guinevere, I am just as invested in them as you are."

"I've never doubted that, Arthur. I truly am sorry if I've made you feel like an outsider."

"I wouldn't say that you have, it's just..." Growing frustrated with his inability to articulate his feelings, Arthur let out a sigh that signaled his willingness to drop the subject. "I'm not sure that I can explain."

Gwen and Arthur often spoke of their boys, but usually in terms of activities - what lessons they were to attempt, what they had accomplished on any given day, quirky anecdotes shared by doting parents. Rarely did Arthur feel the need to express the love that he so obviously felt for his sons. At least not in words. That he was trying now warmed Gwen's heart and made her ache for other such moments.

"Try?" Gwen prompted softly. "It is important to me that I know what you're thinking, how you feel. I would that nothing come between us, not for anything. But things can and they will if you do not share them with me." When Arthur still remained silent, Gwen continued her gentle prompt. "The strength of Camelot lies in us knowing each other, Arthur, just as its vulnerabilities lie within secrets and doubts kept between us."

"You're right, as usual." Arthur agreed with a smile, then cast his gaze upward and thought a moment, trying to put his feelings into words only to find them in the past. "Do you remember when Coulby was one and he was so ill we thought we were going to lose him?'

Arthur felt Gwen shiver beside him at the thought and instinctively pulled her closer. "How can I forget? It was our darkest hour."

"Indeed." Arthur agreed softly, his thoughts on those long days and even longer nights. "Gaius, Merlin, all had tried to find a cure, but to no avail. I was desperate to save him and would have done anything, even trade my life for his." Arthur swallowed hard, his voice soft with remembered agony. "In those dark days, when he hovered on the brink of death, I felt utterly helpless. I tried to soothe him, to talk him through, but nothing calmed him. Nothing save the touch of his mother's hand."

"And so, to give our son what he needed, I had to let go of my desire to be the answer to his every need and fade into the background." His pause and haunted gaze said more than words ever could. "I tell you, Guinevere, I have fought battles that have taxed my very soul, but _that_...that was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I fear...I fear I would have gone mad had I not had Colin to hold on to."

"Oh, Arthur..."

Arthur's expression brightened as his thoughts turned to happier days. "For the past five years, I have watched you pour yourself into those boys, Guinevere, and each moment has been a complete and utter delight."

"But?"

His voice gentled with wistfulness. "But now it is _my _turn. Our boys are now at an age where I can share with them my skills and knowledge, _my_ passions. I can teach them to hunt, to fight. And to love Camelot as I do. But to do that..."

"...you need me to fade into the background." Gwen whispered softly, the connection between the past and their present clearly made.

Relieved no other explanation was required, Arthur hastened to clarify his thoughts. "Not very far and only for a while. Do you think you can do that?"

"I think...I can try. But..." She blinked her concern up at him. "...unlike you, I will have no one to hold onto should I falter."

"You have me." Arthur answered softly as he pulled her so close it was as if she were his second skin. "And anything else you ever need."

A smile slowly spread over her lips and lit her eyes. "You are more than enough. You always have been." Gwen leaned up and captured Arthur's lips in a kiss full of infinite faith and her deepest love. Sighing as she pulled away, Gwen rested her head against his shoulder once more, a light chuckle escaping her. "I have been rather silly, haven't I?"

Emotion filtered through Arthur's voice. "I love you even when you are."

"I think…I felt that as long as they remained here with me in the castle, they would always be mine. That somehow I could protect them from that big, bad world out there."

"It's also a big, beautiful world with amazing things to discover." Arthur commented lightly. "Would you want to hold them back from experiencing all it has to offer?"

"No, of course not."

"Then..."

Guinevere sighed her agreement. "You're right. I know you are, it's just..."

"Hard."

"Indeed."

"You know, you are not losing them because they are growing up, Guinevere." Arthur commented softly, addressing the still unspoken fears that had been the driving force behind all her attempted delays. "And while I cannot promise that you will always be the center of their world, I can promise that you will always be their foundation. That will never change, not if they're sitting next to you or if they're a thousand miles away."

He smiled down at her, his blue eyes dancing with as yet unrealized plans. "And it's on that foundation that I now wish to build. For as you said, they are _our_ testament to the realm. Both yours _and_ mine."

"And what a testament they will be." Gwen agreed, contentment and pride slipping through her expression.

Arthur smiled and planted a kiss on Gwen's forehead then returned to a previous thread of conversation. "You know, when you think about it, this is no different than when we were teaching them to take their first steps. And that, as in this, we did...together." Arthur chuckled, his eyes brightening with the joy of past memories. "Do you remember sitting on the floor in the nursery, cheering them on, each in their turn? Placing their little feet where we wanted them to go."

Gwen beamed. "Holding their tiny hands."

"One of us letting go..." Arthur began.

Only to have Gwen finish his thought. "...so the other could urge them on with open arms."

"They no longer need us to hold their hand at every turn, luv. But what they do need is the ability to run free on the path and within the boundaries we've set for them. That is how they will grow into the men we hope they will be."

After a moment of quiet contemplation, Gwen offered up an apology. "I'm so sorry I created such a fuss today..."

"Guinevere, you have nothing to be sorry for." Arthur dismissed her apology with a sigh and a wave of his hand. "You love our boys with all your heart and are not afraid to show it. As a man who never knew a moment of his mother's love, I am grateful that I found a woman who shares hers so openly. And I say, that if we are to err in loving our children, let us err on the side of loving too much, rather than too little."

"So you understand." It was more a statement of affirmation than a question.

"Completely."

Gwen shifted to look up into Arthur's eyes as her hand gravitated to the sharp, beloved angles of his face. "Arthur Pendragon, you are as near to perfection as I could ever hope. I simply couldn't adore you more right now, even if I tried."

Liking that assessment very much, Arthur practically cooed his response. "Perfection you say? I rather like that."

"Oh, now, you'd better reign in that already inflated ego of yours. I said _near_." Gwen reminded him as teasing laughter slipped through her eyes. "Even if only for that one, _enduring _flaw of yours."

"What?" A blonde eyebrow rose in query. "What flaw?"

"_You _still snore like a little piglet." Gwen informed him with a playful poke in his the center of his chest.

Arthur rolled his eyes and groaned out loud. "Seven years and you're still beating the same old tune on the same old drum."

"That is because you, my dear, have given me no other instrument to play." Gwen countered saucily then flopped back down on the bed next to him, Arthur's extended arm serving as her pillow.

"Oh, really?" Arthur chuckled, his endearing glance taking in her perfect profile. "Is this a challenge now?"

"Perhaps." Gwen conceded with a nonchalant shrug of her slim shoulders, then steered their conversation in an entirely different direction as she lifted her gaze to the canopy high above them. A wicked twinkle sparked in her dark eyes and stole over her expression. "After all, you've met every_ other_ challenge I've laid at your feet tonight."

Arthur's eye narrowed as he gauged his wife's expression, which had turned from open and contented to coy. Mischievous. And wanting. He knew that look. He _lived_ for that look. "Do I feel an admission coming on?"

Gwen's bottom lip slipped between her teeth as she fought to keep the smile off her face. "You know earlier...when I said all that about you not knowing how to woo?"

"Hmm, yes, I have a vague memory of the charge." Arthur quipped.

"Weeeellll…"

A pause of anticipation. A moment to steel herself for his reaction. A glance in his direction. Then a rush of words solidifying her confession.

"You woo with the best of them, Arthur Pendragon."

"Yes!" A victorious Arthur pumped his fist into the air and grinned from ear to ear. "I _knew_ it!"

Gwen chuckled and rolled her eyes at his overt display of pleasure at the hard-earned and well-deserved compliment, then quickly shifted gears. For Guinevere wasn't done with Arthur Pendragon. Not by a long shot.

"And while I admit you have proven that you do, in fact, know what your lady wants…" That coy, mischievous look returned as her voice lowered to a seductive whisper. "…she just happens to know what you want too."

The air around them instantly changed. Charged with a new energy, sparking with desire. Filling with need.

Arthur's mouth went dry as endless possibilities danced through his head.

"Oh? And what, pray tell, is that?"

Nothing could have prepared Arthur for what Gwen did next.

In one swift, provocative move, she was lying on top of him. Skin against skin. Softness molding to hard muscles and a growing desire. Her warm breath mingling with his.

"Hmmm…" Arthur practically purred as his large hands encircled her tiny waist. He registered the wicked gleam in her eyes just before his gaze dropped to catch the same wickedness transforming her lips into irresistible temptation. "Now, that's what I call a great start."

"Yes, but…" Gwen grinned as her whispered promise breezed across his lips. "It _is_ only a start."

"Oh? So there's more?" Arthur prompted with a challenging tilt of his lips.

Gwen's grin deepened as a throaty chuckle escaped her. "So. _Much. _More."

Her hand began to roam. From neck to chest, chest to waist. Then lower still until Arthur's breathing was uneven and his eyes had darkened to cobalt.

"Hmmm, yes...seems like you have a very good handle on…what I want." His fingers dove into her hair as his voice lowered to a suggestive whisper. "Is it time then to do with you as I please?"

Gwen shook her head, her lower lip slipping between her teeth to stop the giggle Arthur's obvious pout prompted. "You get two more guesses."

His eyes drifted closed as a shock of pleasure surged through him when she shifted against him. It was becoming difficult for him to form thoughts, let alone speak them. "Am I…meeting a new challenge?"

Another shake of her head. "Nah-uh."

"Ah, then." He swallowed hard, his hopeful gaze meeting hers. "Is this the part…where I let you seduce me?"

"Why don't you..." Gwen leaned forward and nipped at his lips. Once. Twice. Three times. "…stop talking..." Another kiss. "…so we..." Another breathless whisper. "…can find out?"

Tbc…


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey all - **

**FINALLY done with this story! Thanks for your patience, support and feedback. I hope this will be a satisfying end to this little saga. It was certainly fun to write, so thank you for letting me indulge my love of this couple. **

**Would love to hear what you think! :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

Arthur Pendragon was not having a good day.

From the moment he stepped outside the refuge of the royal bedchambers, he had been besieged by every sort of annoyance known to a legendary king.

Training had gone badly, resulting in injuries for two of his newest knights. Chickens and cows from a nearby farm had overrun the lower town and were threatening to invade the castle grounds, creating a racket and general chaos similar to that of a small war. Lunch had been served late and cold. And to top it all off, he'd managed to rip a hole in his favorite cape and step in a pile of horse dung when his latest manservant announced that he'd forgotten a vital packet of information Arthur needed for a meeting that was to occur in short order.

It was that very delinquency that had sent Arthur back in search of said important information and an even more important excuse to escape the madness of the day.

He had not expected to see his wife in their room at that particular time, but the moment

that he did, he stopped. And stared. And let the rest of the world fall away.

Arthur always knew that he'd married a woman with a servant's heart. He just never expected that heart would be so stubborn. It had taken him a good year before he'd convinced her to cease grabbing a randomly handy mop to clean a stubborn stain from a stone floor and another two before she stopped delivering meals to a guest while on her way to issue commands to her waiting gaggle of servants.

She still made the bed in the royal bedchambers.

Whenever Arthur had protested, stating it was not a queen's duty, she reminded him that while it may not be a queen's, it was the essence of a wife's duty to make a warm and loving home for her husband, whether that home be in the humblest of huts or a single room in a castle on a hill.

It was at moments like this that Arthur saw the wisdom in her logic.

Oblivious to the fact she had a silent observer, Gwen floated around the room, spreading song and light wherever she went. From straightening the heavy drapes enveloping their bed to placing a vase of newly clipped hydrangeas on a side table, from adding fresh candles to ornate candlesticks to hanging a decorative sash on the cabinet housing their wardrobe, Guinevere's unique touches made the difference between a room and a sanctuary.

Finally, Arthur announced his presence with an astute, and obvious, observation when he pushed himself away from the doorway to enter their room.

"She hums."

Guinevere spun around at the sound of her husband's voice, a radiant smile not only brightening her face, but enveloping her entire being.

"She smiles."

Arthur chuckled when Gwen practically danced up to him and planted an impetuous kiss on his lips. "She offers unsolicited affection." Blue eyes dancing, Arthur grinned down at Gwen as he lovingly tweaked her delicate chin and pronounced the obvious. "My wife is happy today."

"She is very, _very_ happy." Gwen corrected over her shoulder as she flitted out of his arms and back to the table where three more vases of flowers awaited her attention.

"Any particular reason?" A curious Arthur asked, his aim in the opposite direction.

"Oh, I don't know." Gwen demurred, running her hand delicately over soft, vibrant petals. She began listing her reasons with a voice brimming with sunshine. "The storm has broken. The flowers are in bloom. I have you and the boys. Isn't that reason enough?"

An amused Arthur rounded his desk and took a seat behind it. "Hmmm…I'm not quite sure." Arthur expanded his explanation at Gwen's inquiring glance. "Occasionally, the boys and I are the source of worried frowns and insanely adorable bouts of irritation."

"Occasionally, that is true." Gwen conceded with a light chuckle. "Speaking of…" Gwen rounded the bed and landed before her husband's desk with an uncharacteristic bounce. "The boys asked me a funny little question awhile ago. Apparently, it was prompted by something you said the other day."

"Oh? And what did they ask?" Arthur inquired as he distractedly searched through the scrolls on his desk.

"If I were insane."

Arthur smirked. "Ah, yes. I remember that." He quipped. "And what was your answer?"

"If they meant insane with love then…yes." Gwen rounded Arthur's desk and slipped into his lap. "Yes." She repeated with a broad smile as her arms encircled Arthur's neck. Nuzzling his nose with hers before capturing his lips, she exhaled an exaggeratedly contented sigh when she relinquished her claim to them. "And happily so."

"Hmmm..._another _kiss." Abandoning his search altogether, Arthur's arms encircled Gwen's waist as he gave his wife his full attention. "And what have I done to deserve such affection today?"

"Quite a lot it seems."

"Oh? Do tell."

"Well…" Gwen began playing with the leather string loosely lacing the top of his red tunic, her warm fingers gently grazing the bronze skin exposed to her loving touch. "I'm not sure if you've noticed, but…it _appears_ that I've been out of sorts the past few weeks. Perhaps even a little more…_emotional_ than usual."

"Noticed?" Arthur chuckled. "I seriously contemplated having Gaius examine you for pre-mature senility."

"Well, you would have been handsomely rewarded for the effort." Gwen responded, clearly too happy to take offense.

A blonde eyebrow rose. "Oh, really? And how is that?"

"Do you remember us talking the other day about taking a trip to the lower town to find a princess for Camelot?"

"I remember _you_ talking about it." Arthur responded flippantly, his gaze caressing the long column of her neck, where his lips landed only moments after his next pronouncement. "I had more pleasurable means to that end in mind."

Arthur's featherlike kisses prompted Gwen's eyes to drift closed as she felt herself being pulled from the realities of the day into a world where touch and sensations reigned supreme. She struggled not to go there. To think what she'd been saying as each brush of his lips threatened to send her senses reeling.

It was in the hazy in-between that an all-important announcement was made. "Umm…you should…you should know that it seems…it seems our search…for Camelot's next heir…can start much…" In a slow, subtle move, Gwen sighed as she deliberately placed his hand on her stomach. "…much closer…to home."

It took a moment for Gwen's combined words and actions to sink in. And when they did, Arthur pulled back suddenly, his blue eyes wide with cautious hope as his gaze lowered to her stomach then back again. "Are you...do you mean..." His face broke into a grin when Gwen silently nodded, too happy to speak. "Oh, Guinevere, luv, that's..."

His breathless burst of laughter echoed in the room as he crushed her to him. Then his lips were on hers in the next moment in a mixture of intense love and joy that gentled into the sweetest of kisses. Hand gravitating to the side of his face, Gwen's dark eyes glowed with happiness and love as she stated the obvious when they finally broke apart.

"Does this mean my husband is happy today?"

"He's very, _very_ happy." Arthur's brilliant smile disappeared as a sudden thought struck him. His hand caressed her stomach cautiously. "And you're alright? And the child? Nothing is amiss?"

She beamed her answer, her gaze caressing his face, committing to memory the moment she'd made Arthur's world complete once more. "No, luv, we are both perfectly fine."

Arthur's smile returned with a vengeance as his gaze lowered to where his hand still rested. "How long?"

"Just about long enough for you to settle on a few hundred names, change your mind, choose a few hundred more." Gwen teased as her hand covered his. "Just as you did with the boys."

"Oh, that won't be a problem this time."

"No? And why is that?"

"I've been making a list."

"Is that so?" Gwen shook her head at the eager expression on Arthur's face. "Well? Where is this masterpiece of yours?"

"In a secret compartment." Arthur stated with a wink. The smug smile on his face bespoke of a pride in his own cunning. "Where not even Merlin's magic can find it."

Gwen let him have his moment, then promptly burst his bubble. "It's in the locked partition of the sideboard, isn't it?"

Arthur's face fell. "How did you…" Sighing, he tweaked her delicate chin as he grinned. "How am I _ever_ to keep secrets if you know me too well?"

Gwen offered a conciliatory smile then slipped off his lap, holding out her hand in silent invitation. "You're not _supposed_ to keep secrets from your wife."

"Not even good ones?" He stood, took her hand, then led her to the bed, where he deposited her with a gentle kiss. "Now, think carefully before you answer. The anniversary of your birth is coming up soon, and I know how you love surprises…"

Leaving her to contemplate that all-important question, Arthur, quickly made his way to the side table, where he unlocked the ornately carve compartment and pulled out a piece of parchment. Returning to Gwen, he bowed with a flourish and presented his queen with her choices.

"Alright, then. Let's see what you've got." Gwen took the parchment and began to read aloud. "Brunhilda. Hermetta. Cleotilda. Hagetha." As Gwen scanned the listed names, she fell silent, her eyebrows hitching higher and higher and her worried frown growing more prominent, until she finally came across a name she could no longer keep silent about. "Honestly, Arthur, if you truly consider the name Urgulgru, I will truly consider leaving you."

Thoroughly amused by his wife's reaction to the list of names, Arthur bit back a smile. "So you hate every name on the list then?"

Biting her lower lip, Gwen tried to choose her words carefully in case her darling – and suddenly deranged – husband had his heart set on one of most horrendous names mankind had ever invented.

"Hate is _such_ a strong word, but…" She glanced up at Arthur to gage his reaction, but gave up all pretense. After all, it was her baby's name on the line. And she was nothing if not protective of her babies. "…yes, yes, I do."

"Good." Arthur stated with an unexpected smile and a clap of his hands. For a man well versed in tough negotiations, this one was starting off rather well. "Then the method to my madness is working."

"And what maniacal method would this be?" Gwen queried in surprise – and great relief.

"To condition you to such horrible names that when I present that ones I wish most to consider, you will agree with no hesitation."

"Is that so?" A dark eyebrow quirked in inquiry as she quickly tossed the parchment of horrible names behind her. "Well? Are you going to share? We must needs see if this method of yours truly works."

"Allllright…" Feeling as if he'd shed at least 10 years, Arthur jumped onto the bed next to her with boyish enthusiasm, prompting musical laughter from his amused wife. "There's one particular name I've been mulling for a while now."

"Oh? Do tell."

"Well, if our princess is _anything _like her mother..."

"One can only hope." Gwen quipped.

"Indeed, one can and fervently does." Grinning, Arthur readily agreed before offering up his suggestion. "Angel. Because that's what you are, and have always been, to me."

The softness in Gwen's eyes, the slight hitch of her breath, told Arthur more than any words ever could just how much the heartfelt sentiment in his words meant to her. "That's a beautiful name, Arthur. Truly worthy of consideration."

"Good." Arthur said with a satisfied nod. "Then that just leaves one other."

"And what would that be?"

Blue eyes gazed on a distant past. Long before he'd met the woman by his side or knew the meaning of a love so deep it would break every barrier known to one of royal blood, he'd cherished the dream of her in his heart.

"I heard of a tale once when I was a boy, with _quite_ the heroine. She was beautiful, strong, and brave. But it wasn't these qualities that made her so desirable. It was her wisdom and kindness, her humble and compassionate heart. Upon hearing of her, she at once became to me the ideal woman. And for a while I thought I would never find her equal."

His hand slipped over Gwen's, their fingers entwining. "Then came the day you walked into the dining hall as Camelot's newest handmaiden, and I knew. I just knew that I'd found my Arwen."

Caught up in his tale, Gwen cast a disbelieving glance in Arthur's direction. "My first day at the castle? Arthur, it was years before you noticed me."

"Oh, no. No, luv, I noticed immediately. It just took a few years for you to notice me back." Halting her protest with a finger to her lips, his voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper. "And if you doubt me, you were wearing a pink tunic and your braided hair was pinned up and adorned with tiny white and yellow flowers that day. As to the rest…you didn't look upon me with favor until our fight with the raiders at Ealdor."

"My goodness." Thoroughly caught off guard by the unexpected confession of Arthur's unexpected observation, Gwen made a breathless observation of her own. "You _were_ paying attention."

"To you?" Grinning, Arthur leaned in for a well-deserved kiss. "Always."

And it was at that moment that Guinevere Pendragon felt truly sorry for the citizens of Camelot. For as open as Arthur was with his people, for as many ways as he showed his love and care for them, they would never see this completely unguarded side of their king. The side that spoke with a poetry that was all his own and loved from a well so deep, it was unfathomable.

No, this…_this_ belonged to her and her alone.

And she cherished it with every fiber of her being.

"So, what do you think of the name Arwen?" Arthur inquired, pulling her thoughts back to the present.

"Arwen." Gwen repeated, liking the feel of that name on her tongue as a thought struck her. "It's a rather unique amalgamation of our names, is it not?"

"I was wondering if you would pick up on that. It's almost as if it were meant just for our little one." Arthur confessed, his eyes gentling with pride and admiration. "So, what do you think?"

"It's exceptionally beautiful." Gwen replied softly, a hand gravitating to the caress the side of his face. "I especially love that it holds such meaning for you. And now, for me as well."

"So…Arwen over Angel, then?"

Tilting her head in contemplation, Gwen offered up a compromise that give Arthur the best of both. "Perhaps we name her Arwen with Angel serving as her nickname?"

"Now, _that_ is a plan I can live with." Arthur's eyes danced with deep satisfaction as a grin threatened to take him over once more.

"Just one question."

"What's that?" Arthur asked absently as he gathered one of Gwen's tiny, but capable, hands in his and began to inspect it with a loving caress.

"I noticed that both are girl's names."

"That's not a question." Arthur teased.

Gwen playfully nudged his arm before seriousness claimed her features. "Why do you want a little girl so much?"

Arthur shrugged nonchalantly as if the answer should be as plain as the sunlight streaming through the windows. "Because I'm greedy." He brought her hand to his lips for a kiss. "I want another you in my life."

"And if, by some chance, it is yet another boy?" Gwen inquired gently, hoping to temper his expectations.

"Not a problem." Arthur dismissed the thought with a wave of his hand. "We'll just call him Merlin, slap a dress on him and voila – much like his namesake, we will have our girl."

"Arthur! You are terrible!" Gwen chided with an irrepressible chuckle. "And after all that he's done for you."

"Ah, yes. The things Merlin has done for me." Arthur appeared to ponder that thought for a brief moment before remembering something. "You know, I still haven't told him I know about the spell from the other night."

"You _can't_ be serious." Gwen exclaimed, grabbing Arthur's arm in earnest supplication. "Arthur, don't. He was half-mortified when I asked, he'd be even more so knowing that you know."

"All the more reason to bring it to his attention, don't you think?" Eyes twinkling with mischief, Arthur grinned widely then began to laugh as a new thought hit him. He turned his delighted attention back to Gwen. "I should have _known _about this."

"What? That I was with child?" Gwen asked when Arthur's warm hand returned to her tiny waist as curiosity danced in her dark eyes. "How do you figure?"

"Experience." Arthur answered promptly. "What you put me through when you were having the twins..."

"What _I _put_ you _through?"

Undeterred, Arthur continued to ramble. "The mood swings. The irrational 'lessons'. The midnight snacks. The most intense cravings for the most disgusting combinations of dishes..."

"Yes, well, I seem to recall you enjoying one _particular _craving of mine. Quite a few times, I might add." Gwen tossed him a saucy smile that reminded him of those many nights spent in her arms taking full advantage of her 'cravings'.

"Oh, riiiight. _That _craving…I so look forward to indulging in _that_ one again and again." Arthur's expression sobered suddenly, as he cupped the side of her face, his fingers caressing her soft, radiant skin in the gentlest of gestures. "Thank you."

Gwen blinked her surprise at the sudden shift. "For what?"

"For loving me and our children with all your heart. For adding to our joy with this new life. For being you…my Arwen, Camelot's greatest strength."

"Arthur…" Gwen began to protest, but was halted by the emotion coating her husband's next words.

"Know that when I say I love you, Guinevere Pendragon, it is only the tip of the sword. A mere drop. For those three words are too small, too inadequate, to fully express just what you mean to me."

And with a heart too full to speak, Gwen gravitated toward Arthur, her gaze lowering to the full lips that had just given her the best love declaration of her life.

"Then don't use words." She whispered, her breath mingling with his, as a slow, seductive smile crept over her features and transformed her into temptation personified. Warm hands connected with his solid chest, then slowly slid upward to wrap around his neck then burry themselves in his silky hair. And when her midnight eyes flickered upward to meet his, they were full of love and desire and challenge. "Show me instead."

And for the rest of the afternoon, the greatest king Albion had ever known obeyed Guinevere Pendragon's every command.

* * *

><p>Several hours later, Merlin caught up to a whistling Arthur in the corridor that led to the Counsel Chamber.<p>

"Well. You're mood has certainly improved." Merlin's off-handed observation was met with a twinkling eyes and a widening grin.

"_That_, Merlin, is because my beautiful wife just gave me some wonderful news."

"Oh?" Merlin inquired as he fell into step with Arthur. "And are you going to make me guess?"

"Normally, I would, but I'm too happy about this to keep it in." Arthur stopped and spun to face his former manservant. "Guinevere...is with child."

Merlin's delight was instantaneous. "Oh, Arthur, that's wonderful! Congratulations!"

"Thank you." Expanded chest collapsing with a deep sigh, Arthur made a rare confession. "The child is barely a thought, and I already feel as if Camelot is stronger for the very idea of her."

"Her?"

A hint of comical warning made its appearance in the form of a finger pointed at Merlin's chest. "Do not discourage me, Merlin. We are having a girl. I will accept nothing less."

Throwing up his hands in mock submission, Merlin chuckled his ready agreement. "Okay, then. A girl it is."

Arthur clapped Merlin on the back with a laugh and advanced toward his destination only to pull up short and slowly turn to face Merlin with a stern expression.

"Oh. And uh, Merlin?"

"Yes?"

Blue eyes narrowed in accusation. "I know what you did."

Confusion flashed through Merlin's eyes. "What I…what I did?"

"The other night. Guinevere's request. About resisting me."

Merlin swallowed hard, unsure of the reaction of his friend and king. His sudden nervousness was further displayed in his scrunched up face, tilted head and the fierce blush coloring his cheeks. "She…she told you about that?"

"Of course she did." Arthur practically rolled his eyes as the mere thought of secrets between he and his wife. "You only spelled her to resist for twenty minutes. Did you honestly think it wouldn't come out at some point?" Not waiting for an answer, Arthur continued, stepping up to Merlin and lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Here's the thing. Sometimes 'resistance' can be _quite_…satisfying_._"

"I…I don't understand." Merlin blinked absently.

"Just…take my word for it." Slinging his arm over Merlin's shoulders, Arthur drew him closer to issue an all-important command. "So the next time my wife comes to you with such a request..._especially_ in the next several months…indulge her every whim..." And its consequences. "…or face the hangman's noose."

The End


End file.
